This dissertation assesses the impact of sustainable development and livelihood strategies on the indigenous communities of Maolin National Scenic Area (NSA) in Taiwan. I examine the relationship...Show moreThis dissertation assesses the impact of sustainable development and livelihood strategies on the indigenous communities of Maolin National Scenic Area (NSA) in Taiwan. I examine the relationship between the directives of indigenous policy relevant and the sustainability indicators for small islands proposed by Jesinghaus (2002) to answer the leading question: What is the influence of sustainable tourism strategies present in the CIP policies on the Maolin NSA indigenous communities in the matters of land conservation practices, heritage protection and risk management? This dissertation offers two leading hypothesis: [1] the sustainable development indicators for Maolin are the same as for all Taiwan, [2] the sustainable development strategies should not be evaluated per se, but only in relation to the particular case study. The aim of this dissertation is to present how the indigenous policies inspired by the Taiwan's cultural transition, indigenous rights movement and idea of sustainable development influenced Maolin NSA. Synthesizing the most relevant theories in indigenous tourism studies and sustainable development studies, this research attempts to show Maolin’s case study in a broad context. The most important contribution of this thesis is explaining new tendencies in Taiwanese inbound tourism on the example of recently established protected area. Using Maolin NSA case analysis, this research explored the role of the indigenous policy implementation in the process of protected area establishment and management. This dissertation offers an insight into the latest tendencies in indigenous tourism development and management in Taiwan.Show less
